About

History of At Home

A group of Los Angeles residents formed this interest group in early 2015, through discussions at a neighborhood potluck. We had many questions: what are cooperatives and cohousing? Is this possible to do here in Los Angeles? What have other groups done? How do we learn about types of decision-making and planning processes?

We visited several other communities, which we learned about through the knowledge and initiative of group members. These were LA Eco-village, Regen Co-op in Pomona, and Emerald Village in Vista. I felt very fortunate to hear from members of these communities about their goals and how they operated. We also benefited from hearing group members share their experiences living in community at cohousing and other types of communities previously or in other parts of the country. Through discussions and activities, we listened to each other describe our goals and visions for a community. Through a great collaboration with the Meetup group “You Are Here: Los Angeles: Intentional Community,” we explored fascinating types of design, ways of holding thoughtful discussions, and collaborating with other amazing groups around the area. Also, through wonderful expert speakers and members contributing articles, we started to put together a list of resources available to the group as well as anyone interested in the topic.

We are reaching out to people who are interested in creating community-centered housing. We envision a community that would feel like a neighborhood, allow us to be healthy, garden, put in environmental features, do activities together, and have an affordable and secure place to live. We are learning about the different structures including cohousing, cooperatives, nonprofits, and other housing communities.

Staff

Carla Truax, Founder and Program Director

Carla has a background in environmental health, and 15 years of experience in community education. While working at USC, she created partnerships with many nonprofit organizations, and facilitated long-lasting collaborations including the Impact Project, which pushed for policy change for the top air polluting industries in Southern California. The partnerships with community-based and environmental justice organizations gave her an understanding that groups must support one another and join forces in order to create change for all. Carla earned her B.A. from Hamline University in environmental studies in 2005, a Master’s degree in Public Health at USC in 2011.